Some would say that sales is one of the best jobs around, while at other times those same people may also say that it’s one of the worst things you can do. There can be no better feeling than landing a sales pitch but at the same time, there can be no worse sensation than struggling for ideas for that new project. Bearing this in mind, here are some guidelines that can help you prepare and nail your next sales meeting.
Set Targets
Before you even start putting pen to paper for plans, start to set some targets in your head. What is the meeting going to achieve? Is it even needed? Ask yourself these teasing questions to make the plan for the meeting write itself.
Know Your Content
The worst thing that any sales manager can do is arrive to a meeting without understanding any of the content. This will not only cause considerable delays in the meeting, but probably get on the nerves of your co-workers as well. Therefore, preparing for a sales meeting should be like revising for an exam – cram in all the information you need and put yourself in a position where you can fend off any question that is posed to you by a co-worker.
Arrange For Someone to Take Notes
Sales meetings can hold some of the most constructive moments for some companies and it is therefore important for someone to capture all of the ideas that are spinning round the table. Find someone that isn’t part of the meeting to sit in and take notes, which can then be handed to all team members at the end for future reference.
Arrive On Time
Time is of the essence in any business and when it comes to sales, the last thing that most teams want to be is stuck in a meeting. Therefore, make sure you set the perfect example by arriving on time and starting the meeting in the quickest possible fashion. This means planning your day around your meeting, to make sure that nothing gets in the way of the discussion with your team.
Only Prepare To Say What Needs To Be Said
One of the main traps that a lot of people fall into is preparing a sermon to read out at their meeting. Even though this speech may provide your team with every last bit of information they need, it isn’t always the best approach. Instead, only prepare the most important information and then prepare for the meeting to venture into a discussion. If you want to simply convey information to your team you could do it through an email; this meeting has been organised so you can take part in a discussion with other members about the best way to progress.
It is clear to see that there are plenty of issues that need to be prepared in advance of a sales meeting. Moreover, these exact same points should be considered when approaching a sales meeting through a conference call – which happens to be one of the main forms of communication that companies are utilising these days.